A Survival Guide for Brick-And-Mortar Bookstores

#26 /2018 04

3F HUMAN HISTORY

Children's Literature

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A survival guide for brick-and-mortar bookstores

Brand Story Budding Talents Around the Globe

TICK.DESIGN── GANTZ5── I am my own landscape── Building a unique design A 14-year graﬃti dream painted with Macao painter Crystal Chan seeks for art original intention and persistence nutrition in New York #26 /2018 04 Contents

Editor’s letter

In the era of science and technology, if you surf the internet, you could find any e-book you want. But how could the cold e-books compare with the paper books which have “temperature”? Even though Macao is a small place, it accommodates AFeature survival guide for brick-and-mortar bookstores distinctive book stores, among which there are some book stores trying to seek diversified 02 operation and develop new business beyond selling books. In Feature, three representatives Editor： from local book stores, namely Slow Tune Book Shop, Pin-to Livros and Wan Tat 2 C Magazine Editorial Board Bookshop, discuss the business model and living condition of local physical book shop in Macao. BrandTICK.DESIGN──Building Story a unique design Email： 10 [email protected] Unique creativity is the key factor to move the client. Local design brand TICK.DESIGN, established by two local sisters of the post-90s generation, is favoured by many famous brands due to its design style. In Brand Story, the secrets of success Produced by： BuddingGANTZ5──A 14-year Talents graffiti dream painted with behind it are revealed. Graffiti art, such grounded culture, attracts young people with 12 original intention and persistence Like Entertainment & Production Co. Ltd. its rich colour and innovative composition. In Budding Talents, we invite a street art team GANTZ5 to share their experiences toward graffiti art. Local painter Crystal Chan went to New York for pursuing her artistic dream and held the first solo exhibition “I Am Published by： AroundI am my own landscape── the Globe My Own Landscape” there in January. She shares her creation concepts and the Cultural Affairs Bureau of 14 Macao painter Crystal Chan seeks for art nutrition in New York the Macao S.A.R. Government experiences of developing art career outside home in Around the Globe.

As usual, our bloggers share their views and news of the creative industries around Event Calender the world in Blogs, bringing latest cultural and creative information to readers. 16

2 C Magazine Editorial Board Blogs 18 Lo Che Ying - Inspiration from Masaaki Yuasa’s animations Tracy Choi - How should Macao movie talents develop?

Lam Sio Man - The freest academy of arts in New York is closed

Un Sio San - Paris literary walk

Ron Lam - Old house, new look

Yap Seow Choong - The transition from an industrial city to a creative city

Johnny Tam - Things about artistic director The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and the interviewees, which do not necessarily reﬂect the opinion of the Cultural Aﬀairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government. A survival guide for brick-and-mortar bookstores By Jasper Hou, photo courtesy of Ken Fong and interviewees

Despite the small city scale, Macao boasts quite a number of physical bookstores with unique features, including integrated bookstores that have expanded their business to more than just selling books. Will such bookstores become an exemplar for brick-and-mortar bookstores that are seeking for transformation in Macao? Where exactly the future of traditional bookstores lies? In Feature, we have invited representatives from three local bookstores, namely Slow Tune Book Shop, Pin-to Livros and Wan Tat Bookshop, to share their take on these questions.

02 03 Feature

Slow Tune was founded in 2016 by three partners. Challenged with the common difficulties in the industry, Slow Tune also found it very hard to make profits out of the sales of books. In order to increase the profit, the store’s operator Jeff Lou strives to diversify the bookstore’s businesses so as to appeal to customers with cultural elements. However, Jeff believes that bookstores still have their own value even though the world is seemingly becoming more detached from printed books. Slow Tune tries to provide customers with a space where they can slow down and enjoy books.

Providing an enjoyable space

Jeff is a designer himself and owns a design firm. Since childhood, Jeff has been addicted to reading, and it’s his passion for books that drove him to partner with his wife and a friend to start Slow Tune up. “People nowadays are always rushing to somewhere and browsing on the Internet has become the main way that people receive information. The name Slow Tune bears the vision to provide our Overcoming difficulties and attracting customers customers with a tranquil environment where they can enjoy reading, as it has become quite a luxury to slow down and read,” Jeff said, explaining the meaning To Jeff, promoting the bookstore to attract customers has been the biggest obstacle he has of the bookstore’s name. encountered so far in running the business. “Macao is a small market, so the cost of traditional promotions is too high for us. For SMEs like us we rely on online promotion, which, unfortunately, Jeff hopes to share his favourite books and products with everyone. Because wasn’t very effective. Instead, we organise different cultural events, such as workshops for painting, of that, his taste is reflected in the products available in the store. Besides selling paper cutting, and calligraphy, etc., trying to attract young people’s participation to build up our books, Slow Tune would also sell original cultural products and fairtrade products. reputation and brand image,” Jeff stated. “We sell fairtrade products in our store for the fact that there is a vacancy of such products in Macao, and that we want to bring the concepts of environmental According to Jeff, logistics is a very important chain of the book business as well, as it directly protection and equality into our store. Sure, the prices are higher, but we get what impacts the sources of the books. “Books come in with quantity and they are very heavy. And to we pay for. Good products always require better materials and crafters to make, transport them the cost is quite high. We could only go with shipping. But freighters that ship books inevitably increasing the cost,” Jeff said. all go through Hong Kong, generating more cost for us. So, to small-scale bookstores in Macao who order a small number of books, it is hard to find overseas publishers to cooperate with. At present, we have forged partnership with four publishers in Taiwan and will look for more publishers to bring more books into Slow Tune,” said Jeff.

Sharing brings joy

In Jeff’s opinion, when the books and products are favoured by the customers, that’s the moment he feels most fulfilled. “It’s like every book we sell signifies a Cross-sector cooperation builds an original brand certain growth of recognition from our customers. It’s a really good experience. At present, our store’s customers are people aged between 20 and 30. We have also In Jeff’s opinion, integrated bookstores will be the future development tendency in Macao. “The set up a Facebook page so that more people would have the channel to know what profit coming from books is quite low. So we need to use other merchandises or cultural products to we are doing now. We make book recommendations every week to keep up the diversify our business in order to cater to various audiences. I believe this is one of the mainstream interaction with our customers,” Jeff said. directions that bookstores in Macao will go for,” Jeff commented. “Macao is a small market. Relying only on the book business is not enough for bookstores to survive.” “The rise of digital books and magazines does have an impact on brick-and-mortar bookstores. But from my own experience, there is no substitute In the future, Slow Tune will also try to cooperate with artists from other fields to design and for the feel of an actual book,” Jeff said. “When you are reading a digital book on produce local art and cultural products with different artistic elements. “My own design company can a gadget, you will be annoyed by the brightness of the screen and be distracted by help integrate the design and production process. Some artists do not know how to transform their other apps on the device. It’s hard to concentrate and read. So, I believe physical artworks into commercial products, and that’s exactly something Slow Tune can help them with. We bookstores still have their unique advantages. They can offer you a comfortable can help them find the right way to present their works and sell them in our bookstore,” Jeff said. and quiet environment to read.”

04 05 Feature

Pin-to Livros was reopened in July 2017 at No.47 Rua de Coelho do Amaral. After undergoing resource integration, Pin-to Livros and Musica are now merged into one. Pin-to Livros’ director Anson Ng believes that physical bookstores should utilise books and facilitate an environment for people to exchange ideas. The new business site is located at the old city centre, which is close to the neighbourhoods of local Macao people. The new Pin-to Livros will soon plan to organise cultural activities that connect local communities and facilitate cultural scene.

Building a reading space of one’s own

In 2003, Anson teamed up with three friends with different specialties to launch Pin-to Livros. “I previously worked for the Taiwan bookstore chain The Eslite Bookstore. From there I accumulated certain knowledge of how the publishing industry and bookstores work. I also found that bookstores in Macao at that time didn’t have what I was looking for, especially books Organising events to add on cultural elements on art design and liberal arts and science. That’s why I wanted to open up From his own observation, Anson found that the physical bookstore sector in Macao hasn’t a bookstore, to satisfy my own desire,” Anson explained. suffered the decline of the physical book business as serious as markets in other regions. He believed that such phenomenon is closely connected with the societal, economic and cultural What sets Pin-to Livros apart from the crowd is its book selection, conditions in a particular region. “Independent bookstores have been emerging in markets like the which mainly concentrates on books on design, liberal arts and science. UK, the US, and nearby regions. So I wonder if this could mean that the number of consumers “Given the limited space of the store, I believe it’s good to concentrate on preferring physical books is actually increasing. Besides, there is a solid base of physical book and providing particular types of books in the store. It might appear that big bookstore supporters in Macao and it’s still growing in recent years,” Anson said. “So I believe bookstores would have a comprehensive inventory of books. But the fact physical bookstores still have their own value. The important question is how to attract readers for is consumers don’t really know where to choose the books they want. So your bookstore.” we target specific demands on certain book genres that might not be so popular, hoping to build our brand by focusing on catering to certain Adding on cultural elements to the bookstore is one way to do so. Pin-to Livros regularly demands,” Anson explained. organises events like music launch and book club, etc. “Organising music launch events is one of the features our bookstore offers. We have invited artists from Japan, Taiwan and mainland China to share their thoughts on their new productions and music itself. Every time our customers had been very active in participating in the events despite the fact that we charged them a fee and only 20 or 30 people could actually participate due to the venue space. I pay great attention to utilising Connecting communities limited resources in our bookstore and making every event as refined as possible,” Anson stated. “After moving to the new business site, we basically organise events every month. We stimulate After the reopening, Pin-to Livros has transformed itself from a the cultural scene in communities and attract more readers through this approach.” bookstore targeting customers from the touristic area to a community-based bookstore. “We have planned that Pin-to Livros would establish a close Kickstarting a publishing body to explore local authors relationship with neighbouring communities. Young people nowadays are becoming more active in entrepreneurship, opening up businesses that It has always been Anson’s goal for 13 years to share good contents with people here in target the young generation in communities. Our bookstore positions Macao, providing them with more choices in reading. to target young consumers as well and mainly caters to consumers in communities in an attempt to establish connections with them,” Anson When talking about future plans, Anson expressed that besides building a quality physical said. bookstore, it’s also Pin-to Livros’ goal to grow into a publishing agency. “I am hoping to have my own publishing brand in the future and that I could discover local authors with potential whom I In addition, Anson is hoping to connect readers, nearby businesses, could help get their works published,” Anson explained. “At present, Pin-to Livros has amassed and communities through Pin-to Livros, which serves as a cultural entity followers from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China, etc. We are hoping in Macao. “We can’t always just sit and wait for the government to boost that our platform could bring forth literature from Macao to readers from different regions. I the cultural scene in communities for us. Businesses like us should believe this is something meaningful to do.” actively contribute to this course,” Anson commented. He believes that the bookstore can establish connections between different businesses in communities and facilitate interaction between different sectors, which I am my own landscape 06 is a way to stimulate the cultural scene in communities. 07 Feature

宏達圖書中心

Wan Tat has been in the business for 37 years, which is very rare in the market of Macao. For years, Wan Tat has been dedicated to exploring new business models and expanding its business to facilitate a cultural and interactive reading space for the public. Connie Yong, assistant manager of the book department at Wan Tat with over ten years of experience, believes that the success of Wan Tat is closely linked to the business philosophy and the bookstore’s quality service.

Sharing with genuine heart

Established in 1981, Wan Tat has been around for over ten years, serving the local residents in Macao. Connie is the current person in charge at the operation and management of Wan Tat’s branches in Taipa and Macao. “The bookstore’s founder kickstarted Wan Tat when he was young. Initially, the bookstore operated around the Rua do Monte, but then moved to its current location at Rua do Campo. In the past we had opened up Investing resources to promote reading culture in Macao three branches, but we only have the Rua do Campo and Taipa branches running now,” Connie said. When talking about the features of the branches in Rua do Campo and Taipa, Connie said: “Compared to the one in Rua do Campo, Wan Tat’s branch in Taipa can match nearby community Many things have changed during the business venture of Wan Tat. cultures and add elements of new trends. It is more innovative and young in terms of the interior But what remains is the bookstore’s belief that the book selection design. However, the success can hardly be achieved without the determination to do better.” represents the standpoint of the bookstore itself. “Books can provide people with knowledge. And we want to share them with the readers. Besides, Connie also said: “So far the bookstore will continue to use resources on improving Sometimes when we have regular customers coming in and we know their the image of the bookstores, since we want to promote a reading culture in Macao as a whole and preferences, we would make recommendations to them. We feel very forge an exclusive style of our own in spatial arrangement and display of goods, so that it could happy when they take our recommendations,” Connie said. resonate with targeted readers.”

Providing more books on social issues

When Wan Tat was found, there were only a few bookstores in Macao, Digging into cultural connotation particularly those targeting the needs of Macao students. “In order to and enhancing reading experience satisfy the demand for textbooks, Wan Tat mainly sold textbooks in the past Connie believes that the impingement brought by electronic books is an inevitable outcome in by which we had gained certain market shares. The proportion of textbooks the light of technological advancement. “When facing the impingement, we have been seeking declined as the bookstore was in transition. As of today, sales of textbooks solutions. I believe that when customers shop in traditional bookstores, they are not only there for and workbooks consist of less than a half of our total sales,” Connie said. purchasing books, but also for enjoying the reading space there. They want to attain enjoyment through face-to-face communication. These are the things that online bookstores cannot As a comprehensive bookstore today, Wan Tat touches upon every provide,” Connie said. category of books. “We adjust the proportion of books on shelves by examining social trends and hot issues, and in recent years, Wan Tat focuses In the future, Wan Tat will pay more attention to reading experience. Connie mentioned: “For on books related to child’s growth and tourism culture to provide readers customers who like reading, we will explore more contents that are related to cultural connotations with cultural experience and attract more readers,” Connie said. in order to shed light on the city’s culture.” In the meantime, Connie believes that bookstores are not just a platform for sharing books, but also a place where one can share products and services. Consequently, running a bookstore by diversifying merchandises and engaging in cultural diversity could be a way out for traditional bookstores. While in regard to Macao’s small-scale market and high operating cost, it is relatively hard to succeed. 08 09 10 Brand Story secret oftheirsuccess?Thisissuebrandstoryisgoingtotellyoutheanswer. now a popular design company in the local market with high-profile clients such as Louis Vuitton and McDonald’s. So what exactly is the Local design brand TICK.DESIGN was founded in November 2015 by two Macao sisters of post-90s, Katy Lui and Tramy Lui. And it’s Sticking topersonalisedoriginaldesign many topclientswiththeirdesignsintwoshortyearsafteritslaunch. garnered has company The clients. its serve better to details design design the refining besides customised service unique and original on focuses TICK.DESIGN vision, their actualise To and choices right the with reinvent thebrandimagesoflocalenterprisesinMacaowithnovativedesign. clients their provide to is vision Their TICK.DESIGN. kickstart and up team to decided they Macao, in difference a making of passion the With graduated. they after in projects and Macao and talents that the local cultural and creative design industry was gradually growing and gaining of momentum number large a were there that found graduate, design graphic and advertising an Tramy, and graduate, marketing a Katy, directors, two firm’s design The Building auniquedesign By SunnyLamPhotocourtesyofCrystalLeongandinterviewees emphasise onbuilding upreputationinorderto appealtomorepeople. they Therefore, clients. potential new finding than easier is clients old their keep to working Tramy, and Katy to According clients. their with relationship long-term a building and design original their very first time and got in touch with major companies in the market, gaining exposure through exhibiting In 2017, TICK.DESIGN attended the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) for the concepts andfeatures. design their share to Facebook and Instagram, website, their on designs their of some post also design of amount certain a finishing projects, they would spend After a lot of time concluding and reviewing on their past company. projects. They would the of development the to essential been and demand clients’ their satisfy and understand marketing andPR,aswellTramy’sexperienceindesign coloureddrawingenablethemto capability design their in believed who school from connections and friends their Initially, clients. find to founders two the for difficult quite was it and scratch from business a start to task easy no It’s Building upreputationandappealingtopotentialclients et t te. pr fo ta, ays rvos xeine in experience previous Katy’s that, from Apart them. to clients recommend would Katy manage their design projects better, which has which better, projects design their manage Tramy and workyourownwayout,”Katysaid. designers to build up their design capacity through working hard. “Instead of fearing for the future of the design industry, it’s wiser to stick to your work industry will grow as more people start to enter it.” Katy is delighted to see “The business. that a the starting young on generation take nowadays own is her very giving said, eager Katy to that,” learn for and prepared advised be young to need You it. in energy and time your of lot a invest to need You has set up incubation centres to provide incubation service and startup support. “Kickstarting your own business is different from working for a company. are allpartofabrandandshouldbesortedintostandardise d andsystematicmanner. set up a standard format to present their past works and leave a good impression on their clients. Whether it’s the logo designs or the accessories, they is also of great importance. From the perspective of modern business operation, the brand operation is a key part of business operation. A brand should Of course, it takes more than the creativity of the designers to complete design projects. It should be noted that project and operation management Systematic projectandoperationmanagementmatters The startup scene in Macao has been thriving in recent years. To provide support for young people with entrepreneurial dreams, the Macao government Jewellery andCampufix,etc. Entwine includes portfolio TICK.DESIGN’s strengths. suppliers’ the with accordance in suppliers service brochure, package, or venue design, the company would carefully choose their printing or stage a construction is product final the Whether there. stop doesn’t work their But concepts. design possible the on clients the with communicate would company the that, After process. design the into engaging before demands Besides, Katy believes that it’s important to communicate with the clients well on their preferences and constant and challenges. Themoreproblemstheysolve,thebettercanbe. clients their from demands different facing while grow would and doing are they what for exhibitions and read relevant books, learning from overseas exemplars. Besides, they keep up their passion design and art visit regularly would Tramy and Katy inspiration? their get they do where So company. maintain the business balance. In other words, designers’ creativity is the most important asset for a design initial capital to take off compared with other forms of business and it relies on a flow of design projects to high a require doesn’t business design perspective, Katy’s From creativity. about essentially is Design Where dotheygettheirdesigninspiration? 11 By Giselle Lou Photo courtesy of Giselle Lou and interviewees v Budding Talents

Thomas (MCZ), Pat (PIBG) and Kelvin (K3LL) (Left to right)

Street art, featured with their public display nature, colourful presentation, pop culture elements and their linkage to social issues, are always catching the eyes of the general audience. Their grass-root nature makes them popular among youngsters. As the city develops further, a group of graffiti lovers in Macao are working Persistence makes a professional graffiti team hard to build up a positive image for street arts to support the development of this art form, making graffiti no longer the “illegal” arts from rebellious artists that occupy private spaces, but an appreciated art form In fact, there are a lot of people in Macao that are into graffiti, most of them are young people. But after they graduate from school and enter the among brands that can be seen in art exhibitions and on commercial advertisements. workforce, they would gradually leave this circle. The development of the city also reduces the spaces available and the freedom for people to produce graffiti. So, not many people can stick to it,” Kelvin explained, saying that graffiti lacks the space and resources to grow just like other art forms in Macao. Because of that, GANTZ5 seizes every opportunity to participate in exchange activities and exhibition events in other cities. The group also organises exhibitions in Macao and actively sets up pop-up stores to garner public attention. Besides producing new graffiti works, GANTZ5 would organise workshops for people interested in graffiti, in the hope of generating new blood for the graffiti field in Macao. A lasting passion for graffiti What really impresses GANTZ5 has been the Honghu area in Shenzhen, a sacred place for graffiti artists and lovers in the Pearl River Delta region. When talking about street arts in Macao, the name of GANTZ5 will no doubt pop up in people’s mind. Founded “There is a drain passage with wall that is five to six metres high and it took us eight minutes to really walk through it. On the wall, there are graffiti works in 2004, GANTZ5 is a street art group of five, PIBG, IANS, MAN (now named as K3LL), TAMSL and MCZ, who have produced by artists from all over the world. We saw incredible artworks from famous writers from other countries. It was just overwhelming for us to see known each other since middle school. their styles, their techniques, as well as details of their production,” GANTZ5 recalled. The group’s shared dedication to graffiti and their persistence had empowered them to start their own company professional in producing graffiti in Macao. The group’s goal is very simple, which is to provide a platform for people who share a passion for graffiti to get in touch with each other and produce graffiti works in Macao. To date, only three members remain in the group. Despite their friends’ departure, what remains unchanged for Pat (PIBG), Kelvin (K3LL) and Thomas (MCZ) for 14 years is the undying passion for graffiti and their goal of promoting local graffiti culture in Macao and GANTZ5 formed their first team increasing the recognition of graffiti of the residents. Respect, crucial to the development of art and culture

Collaboration opportunities from the city’s development Melbourne used to have two streets famous for graffiti, Union Lane and Hosier Lane. Whether it’s the metal The old Colégio Mateus Ricci, abandoned vehicles and deserted buildings, and the old gates, the windows, billboards, and even the trash bins on both sides of the streets had been the canvas for local military camp at Mong-Há were the places where they used to paint graffiti. “As Macao develops graffiti artists there. When talking about this sacred place of graffiti, Pat said that he’s hoping such degree of over time, many places where we used to paint graffiti had been torn down. But the emergence freedom for street arts can also thrive in Macao. “In the past, lots of people perceive graffiti as obscene, violent of bars, salons, and restaurants provides us with opportunities to establish collaboration with and rude. I used to ask people with such stereotyping ideas exactly where and when they saw such graffiti the last businesses on graffiti. We offer graffiti service and even participate in city projects like time, and none of them was able to give me an answer. So, in order to change people’s mindset, we offer graffiti reinventing industrial factories. We also collaborate with big brands like Nike, Redbull, and classes during summer vacation and cooperate with education centres in organising workshops and classes on Casetify, etc.,” Pat said, recalling the development of graffiti in Macao over the past decade. graffiti. We want people to reconsider the artistic value of graffiti and learn to appreciate them,” he said.

Besides their growing connections and experience, participating in the government’s city art In Pat’s opinion, when a hobby becomes one’s profession out of persistence, a sense of duty will be naturally projects and exhibition tours also helps them gain exposure and build up reputation. This allows developed. The truth is, the development of this art form does not require direct participation of everyone. What is them to transform graffiti, which was considered as a subculture street art, to an art form that Activity to celebrate 65th anniversary of Transmac highly encouraged is that such persistence for art should be admired and respected. And this is what every Macao "When Buses Meet Graffiti─Draw the Dreams" facilitates art environment in public spaces. people can do to support the art and culture development in Macao. 12 13 14 Forming uniquestylethroughNewYorkarteducation “I AmMyOwnLandscape”. Crystal felt her positions change constantly, which made her rethink herself. It also became the inspiration of the theme of the New York exhibition that I learnt in or portrait is calligraphy it by influenced is matter which line, and No stroke clear have characters. paintings “My emotion: personalised strong with expressions highly her made she with photography, landscape style painting own her formed gradually Crystal York, New in studying When a lotofreadingsandhomework-discussions,whichisreallydiff erent fromtheeducationinTaiwanandMacao.” in New York, which is thought-provoking.” She added, “The most we learnt from class is not painting skill, but to think about the social problem through works could communicate with the present. As the local artistic creation is highly sensitive to social topics, many controversial art works could be seen Their masterpieces. international as well as museums, and exhibitions art many are there world, the of centre art an as York, “New said, Crystal Around the Globe my childhood. I express sadness and anger through painting.” After coming to New York, because of being alone in a remote place, I immediatelyappliedfortheschoolsinNewYorktostudyartcourses.” exhibition the that pieces inspired were favoured by so visitors and were was sold successfully I there. Therefore, when York. I was back New to Macao, to arranged opportunities these of One AFA. joining dream in New York. She said, “I got more and more opportunities to participate in overseas exhibition after artistic her pursing of idea the conceived Crystal (AFA), Society All for Art the joining and Macao to back coming After sense. artistic her developed constantly she travel, her In Europe. around tour first the tried and internship for Greece to went she Meanwhile, management. hospitality study to Macao to back went she Later, courses. design interior study to Taiwan to went Crystal school, high senior from Graduated also I camera. buying attended theartcoursesandsoughteveryopportunitytogetintouchwithart.” for money save to order in class after job tutoring time part did I student, school was a child. My family let me choose the future road myself. I love art very much, so when I was a secondary I since freedom of lot a me given have parents my modest, is condition family my though “Even said: She beginning. very the in art choose not dared she that said frankly She York. New in Art Visual of School the Born in a family that is not wealthy, Crystal Chan finally finished the three-year-course of art degree in Seeking opportunitiesfordevelopingartisticsense Macao painter Chan Crystal seeks own landscape for nutrition inNew art York By JasperHouPhotocourtesyofinterviewee(Photographers:BenjaminHodgesandMarcNicer) am my I success. in A Club Arts National The in again opportunities to hold a solo exhibition the as well as champion the won and Show” Student Barnet the “Will in participated Crystal year, time. last first school by nominated the Besides, for York New in solo her exhibition “I Am held My Own Landscape” she the 456, and Gallery Council Arts American Chinese the by supported recently, And dream. artistic her pursuing for York New to went She child. a was she since art in interested

pril this year, which is a remarkable a is which year, this pril rsa Ca hs been has Chan Crystal To obtainopportunitiesneedstotakeinitiative Hoping toworkinarteducation Week.” Fashion Milan the in showing brands fashion international the by inspired were Europe, and London in sold and toured now are which works, Our cooperate with different agencies and artists. I had cross-boundary cooperation with internationally known fashion photographer Nick Knight earlier. i The New York solo exhibition was well recognised. Regarding the sale of the art pieces, Crystal thought, “I have participated in different exhibitions through arts.Youcouldtakeinitiativetoexpressyouridea,otherthanwaitingpeopletellyouthatareanartist. express to want you what know clearly you that is thing important most The everywhere. is exhibition holding of opportunity The dialogues. and of topics the fit feminism, that which is works, the my reason why of I point was starting selected.” Crystal the hopes as to body express her my idea use through I art exhibition. creation and solo appeal hold to to people to selected make are conversations artists twelve year, Every internet. the on call open has Council Arts American “Chinese said, Crystal exhibition, solo hold to opportunity the obtain to how about talking When information togetintouchwitharts.” I hope that the secondary education could publicise more artistic knowledge. Therefore, students who are fond of arts will not be lost due to lacking social condition, etc. It could train our sense of beauty and the thinking mode of solving problems, which makes people being more critical. Meanwhile, art talents. The reason why New York became the art centre is that the art education developed well there. Art includes culture, historical background, In the future, Crystal hopes to work in art education: “I hope that there could be more resources, talents and education agencies to cultivate local n early time, no matter in Macao or oversea. Each exhibition could sell some of my own works, which inspired me a lot. In the same time, I tried to 15 Event

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The 1st China Animation & Comic Art 12th Fresh Wave International Commercial Press x E-Star Art & Creative Expo Taiwan 2018 Tainan Arts Festival 2018 Exhibition Short Film Festival Write Limited Craft Shop Date：18/4/2018 to 29/4/2018 Date：8/3/2018 to 27/5/2018 Date：15/12/2017-26/4/2018 Date：6/4/2018-21/4/2018 Date：Until 1/5/2018 Time：Check the schedule Time：Check the schedule Time：9am to 5pm Time：Check the schedule Time：11am to 9pm (Sunday to Thursday), 11am to Venue：Check the schedule Venue：Check the schedule Venue：Guangdong Museum (No. 2 Zhujiang Dong Venue：Check the schedule 9:30pm (Friday and Saturday) Ticket：Free Ticket：Check the schedule Lu, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Ticket：HKD65 Venue：The Commercial Press - Tsimshatsui Organiser：Ministry of Culture of Taiwan Organiser：Tainan City Government Guangzhou) Organiser：Fresh Wave Film Festival Limited Book Centre Piccadilly Website：creativexpo.tw Website：tnaf.tnc.gov.tw/2018 Ticket：Free Website：www.freshwave.hk Ticket：Free Organiser：China Artists Association, Publicity Organiser：Commercial Press Department of the CPC Guangzhou Website：www.facebook.com/commercialpress Municipal Committee, Guangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles

Website：www.gdmuseum.com/gdmuseum

16 17 It’s no easy task to start a business from scratch and it was quite difficult for the two founders to find clients. Initially, their friends and connections from school who believed in their design capability would recommend clients to them. Apart from that, Katy’s previous experience in marketing and PR, as well as Tramy’s experience in design and coloured drawing enable them to understand and satisfy their clients’ demand and manage their design projects better, which has been essential to the development of the company. After finishing a certain amount of design projects, they would spend a lot of time concluding and reviewing on their past projects. They would also post some of their designs on their website, Instagram, and Facebook to share their design concepts and features.

In 2017, TICK.DESIGN attended the Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) for the very ﬁrst time and got in touch with major companies in the market, gaining exposure through exhibiting their original design and building a long-term relationship with their clients. According to Katy and Tramy, working to keep their old clients is easier than ﬁnding new potential clients. Therefore, they emphasise on building up reputation in order to appeal to more people.

Blogs Blogs Inspiration from Masaaki Yuasa’s animations How should Macao movie talents develop?

grab the chance to share more Yuasa’s stories in the short one hour. Before the event, I had come up with a few アニメ important questions, which involved Yuasa’s creativity and How Macao movie industry develops became the hot topic Because of the reasons mentioned above, I personally inspiration, as well as his approaches in adaptation and his recent years. But comparing to the whole industry, I concerned think that there are a lot of discussions toward Macao movie. ーション use of Flash in producing animated feature films. Luckily, all more about how Macao movie talents develop. But the only thing that we could not deny is that if more and these questions were answered by Yuasa. more producers and actors who know about Macao to make However, no matter we are going to discuss Macao industry film, we could be more likely to produce Macao movie. Thus, Yuasa’s animation presentation is shown in a unique or Macao movie talents, we should know what Macao movie is I think how to let Macao movie talents to develop is a more way, through different shots from different angles. For first. When talking about what Macao movie is, people are not important task. If we even don’t have movie talents, how could instance, Yuasa adopts fisheye lens and angle like shooting on clear about it, whether in Macao or other regions. To define the we talk about industry? a table level. According to Yuasa, he learned these from term “Macao movie”, we could discuss it from two aspects. One movies and observation in life. It’s surprising that Yuasa is the filming location and the other is the proportion between Referring to Macao local movie talents, predecessors have The Film Culture Centre of Hong Kong invited Masaaki Yuasa to give a talk at the doesn’t really watch manga or anime himself. In comparison, movie executive producers and actors. cultivated silently from the 90s. And recent years, there are Japanese Animation Masterclass recently. he likes a lot of movie directors, such as Brian de Palma from more and more talents devoted to film creation. No matter People who are passionate about Japanese anime must the U.S. Yuasa can talk for hours on Brian’s use of shots and Being the Las Vegas of the East and embracing with the those who develop in local or those who return from abroad, they be familiar with the name Masaaki Yuasa. To some people, lens in several movies and how Brian had inspired his world historical and cultural heritage, Macao has so many all try hard to make their own movies. Movie production is Lo Che Ying Masaaki Yuasa is actually the representative of alternative production. scenery spots worthy to be filmed and attracts a lot of teams definitely a skill that needs practice. Compared to other skills, Tracy Choi Lo is an experienced anime in Japan. Since Mind Game launched in 2004, Yuasa from different places to film here. But whether the movies like painting, we could draw ten sketches or even a hundred, Movie director, her anime producer and has been regarded as the rising star in the Japanese anime filmed in Macao could be called as Macao movie? From the but making movies could not like this. We could surely say that documentary I’mI’m Here Here began independent anime For a long time, Yuasa’s production has been focusing won the Jury Award at the 90s, there are more Hong Kong movies choosing Macao as a watching movie is way of learning skill. But the main part of creation in 1977. His works world, highly praised for his unique storytelling approaches on adaptations, which have all been incredibly successful. To 2012 Macao International won the first prize at the location for shooting. Just like a back garden, the exotic making movies depends on the execution in field. If creation is Film and Video Festival and and his wild visualisation skill. There is no exaggeration to ensure the quality of the adaptations, Yuasa always reads the was subsequently invited to Hong Kong Independent Macao brings Hong Kong audiences infinite imagination. In the constrainted by execution, that would be regretful. How could Short Film Festival for describe his style as wild, which is apparent from his portrayal original works from the reader’s perspective first. Through various festivals in Asia and last ten years, more and more people from different regions the movies talents in different departments and actors practice Europe. Choi received her four consecutive times of the escape from a big whale’s mouth scene. A scene that is this, he is able to identify the most exciting scenes and tries and he was promoted as went to film in Macao. And the frequency was gradually their own skills? If the local productions are not enough, whether MFA degree in Cinema panel member. In the generally delivered through a few shots would last for minutes his best to keep them in the adaptations. On the other hand, Production from the Hong increased. From the Hollywood movies, Korean movies to the movie from other places but filming in Macao could involves next year, he joined the in the hands of Masaaki Yuasa. His storytelling approach is he would also pay attention to the characters and storylines Kong Academy for Radio Television Hong Performing Arts. Her unpredictable and creative. However, Yuasa did not get mainland China movies, they all came to Macao to capture local staffs working in front of and behind the camera to give Kong to work as cartoon that have the potential to be further developed. Then he would graduation film Sometimes different shots. But in these films, Macao is only a disembodied them practice opportunities besides working. More importantly, producer until 1993. Over himself into the mainstream anime industry in Japan after use his own imagination and produce the best animation he Naive was short-listed in recent years, he spent Mind Game but rather sticks to making productions he likes. stage, which is far from the real Macao. Macao was like a film they could learn from the out-of-town movie production teams. the 2013 Hong Kong Asian efforts on promotion of can. Another important approach for Yuasa is that he would Film Festival. TheThe Farming set with casinos, churches, temples and narrow lanes in these the anime industry in After making several small productions, Yuasa adapted make the scenes more dynamic even if it’s just a scene of long onon the the Wasteland Wasteland won the Hong Kong and planning movies. There is no denying that although these images of Concerning the above situation, the cultivation of Macao The Jury’s Commendation Tomihiko Morimi’s bestselling novel into a TV animation dialogues in the original work. At the end of the day, we are Award of the 2014 Macao of anime exhibitions. Macao were not real, that is a good way to let people from movie talents should strengthen from different aspects to Recently, he worked as series, which became a huge hit, garnering high praises from talking about animations here. An animation without dynamic International Film and Video other regions to see Macao. But we would not classify these facilitate the possibility of the development of Macao movie. Festival. Her latest production the curator of the 50 the fans of the novel and the general anime audience. In 2014, scene might not be attractive enough. Years of Hong Kong and movies as Macao movie. On the contrary, if a movie is never filmed Sisterhood was selected in Taiwanese Animation. Yuasa’s adaptation of Taiyō Matsumoto’s PingPing Pong Pong the competition section at the He currently worked as in Macao, but the story is about a Macao people fighting in a 1st International Film Festival impressed the audience with its high quality as the adaptation Talking about the use of Flash, Yuasa believes that Flash Secretary General of the & Awards‧Macao and won maintains the essence of the original work while achieving strange place to survive and most of the executive producers Hong Kong Animation can serve as a good technology to produce animations that the Macao Audience Choice are Macao people, could we call this film a Macao movie? and Culture Association. visual aesthetics in animation. Since then, Yuasa has been are as good as hand-painted ones given appropriate Award at the festival. In considered as the most anticipated creator in the anime addition, Sisterhood got two animation designs. Flash can also help the production team nominations at the 36th industry in Japan. If the filming location could not define a movie as Macao save a lot of time and energy. For example, LuLu Over the Wall, Hong Kong Film Awards. movie, then, what kind of story content, how many movie an award-receiving production, was completely produced executive producers and actors involved could be called Macao Last year has been a fruitful year for Yuasa. In 12 through Flash. The adoption of Flash would be a future movie? If all Macao people participate in a movie, but the months, he produced two animated feature films and one direction for the Japanese animation industry to save cost production detaches from the reality and has nothing to do with anime episode, they are TheThe NightNight isis Short,Short, Walk on Girl, Lu and maximise profits. Lu OverOver thethe WallWall is a perfect example the real Macao, could we call this film a Macao movie? Or if a Over the the Wall Wall, and DevilmanDevilman Crybaby for Netflix. The three of how animation can thrive through the adoption of Flash. movie is close to the real Macao, but the Macao people participated productions have different styles and were well received by the in are rare, how could we define it? Or the Macao executive audience. Lu Over the Wall even harvested a Crystal Award at producers make a film outside Macao, which is unrelated to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which is the Macao, is it has the composition of Macao movie? If the highest honour in the anime industry. It’s apparent that Yuasa proportion between movie executive producers and actors has earned the recognition and respect of the world. could not be determined, as well as the filming location, when we supporting the Macao film, what exactly we should support On February 24th this year, Yuasa visited Hong Kong for for? the first time, giving a speech at The Open University of Hong Kong to an audience of around 400, which includes students studying animation and professional talents from the industry. The event was organised by the Film Culture Centre of Hong

Kong and I was privileged to be the event host. Therefore I Masaaki Yuasa (second from the right) interacted with participants 18 19 Blogs Blogs The freest academy of arts in New York is closed Paris literary walk

There is no free lunch in this world. That’s what we another possibility of American art education. From the scale, believed. it might be extremely successful. But it began to solidify. It began to follow the system, began to deviate from the purpose, 2014, the famous private university Cooper Union ended which makes people lose imagination. the history of providing free education, which continued for more than one hundred and fifty years. Because of financial Even though the close of school makes people regret, it crisis, school decided to collect tuition fees from students, could be a sharp warning for those art school and resource Paris which results that the academy of arts was not able to provide manager to rethink. Ironically, the university Cooper Union scholarship for students any more. In America, where the cultivates bold and risk-loving artists in those years began to tuition fees of private school are expensive, to finish an art charge tuition fees nowadays. It is said that charging tuition bachelor degree without scholarship means that the total fees is for building an extremely expensive teaching building, tuition fees of four years will reached 150,000 dollars, which but the university could not afford the debts. It is like putting To know a city, many aspects could be the entry points, by Zola and Le Bon Marché, the first department store in the not includes housing and living fees. That’s the fee standard of the cart before the horse. like food, music, art, etc. Standing in front of the travel book world and a whole wall printed with TheThe Drunken Drunken Boat Boat by private academy of arts in America. counter, it is not difficult to find a pile of “Kyoto, the writer genius poet Arthur Rimbaud. Lam Sio Man Briefly looking back, I feel that previous year, joining the leads the way”, “Paris literary strolling map” and other similar Un Sio San Having majored in Chinese Many people may doubt who will enroll in such an expensive cultural and art activities in Macao is happy. To visit the exhibition books. Literary walk has become a popular way to travel in Haven’t been to Paris? Let’s look at the number. In 2016, Un obtained the dual Language and Literature as Bachelor degrees in Chinese course? But in fact, since 1960s, the graduates from the academy in Ox Warehouse, to attend lecture in Pin-to Livros, to appreciate recent years. the number of varieties published by France is 103,534. well as in Arts (Creative Language and Art (film and Industries) at Peking of arts in America have gradually increased. Financial crisis, the the Macao City Fringe performance on the street and so many Literature had the maximum market shares, which barely television production) of University, Lam went on to reduction of public funding and other issues have not activities that wouldn’t cost a lot are enough to make me get If we have to choose one city to experience, Paris would equals to the sum of social society plus lifestyle books. Even Peking University and dual work in the Creative Master degrees in East Asia decreased the number of students. The development of art in touch with many interesting people and things in the art Industries Department in the be the ideal one for literary walk. In 1920s, the ambience of though the market scale of cultural products (including books, Studies and Asia Pacific Macao SAR Government. market and the rise of cultural industry make people believe world. I realised that these are arts, merely without the word literature and art as well as the eclectic ideological trend movies and musical products) has decreased in recent years, Studies of University of She is now pursuing an MA that artists will succeed in business. But the reality is that the “market”. Unfortunately, because of different reasons, these Toronto with the research in Arts Administration in New appealed writers from America, England and Ireland to stay paper books are still the mainstream, accounting for nearly field in literature and movies. York University. business market tends to favour those artists who have been spaces are closed or moved. I don’t know whether we abroad in Paris, just like a powerful magnet. Francis Scott 60% market share. Although the golden age of culture has She won the Henry Luce famous. Numerous young artists could only struggle at the accidentally lost the beautiful things that originally belong to Foundation Chinese Poetry & Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Henry Miller, George gone, the passion and spending power to literature of French Translation Fellowships and bottom of the food chain and even had great debts because of us in the process of development. Orwell were all pursuing dream and living in poverty in Paris. could not be underestimated. had been the village residing poet in the Vermont Creative paying tuition fees. They freely published the masterpieces that were forbidden in Studio. She was invited to their own countries, like Ulysses,Ulysses, Tropic of Cancer, etc. Those Readers might think that only the cosmopolitan city with attend many international The artists were virtually instilled a notion by the high fee who chat, discuss and fool around in the Paris café become writers coming forth in large numbers could have the possibility poem festivals such as the one held in Portugal and standard that there is no free lunch in this world, including art. the masters of the literary world later. of literary walk. In fact, topographic writing and literary worked as the lyricist of Today, people will say that being a poor artist is shameful, landscape are popular among Europe and America for a long Macao’s first original indoor which I will not comment on. Because if one could not receive opera AA Fragrant Dream . She When reaching “The Crazy Years” of Paris, as well as the time. Taiwan or even Hong Kong, which has shorter trading port published some collections of art education on account of poverty, it will at least be regretful. golden age after World War I, the devastated Europe became history than Macao is advocating “literary walk” and blocks poems in Cross-Strait As to criticise the art degree with expensive tuition fee, in 2009, regions, and has been great again because of a city and a group of artists and writing, like the “Community Writing” activity supported by engaged in academy some artists graduated from the Cooper Union set up an art writers. More importantly, the blowout of Renaissance and the The House of Hong Kong Literature and the “Taipei Literary and publication for long time and writes columns school which was proclaimed to be the freest art school in New aftermath of the climax of writing were still remembered by Landscape” activity, etc. Although the impact of literature in for media organisations in York and named as Bruce High Quality Foundation University. people and were encouraging new productions. For example, Macao is weak, quite a few literary heritages could be linked Taiwan, Hong Kong and They offer different courses in spring and fall semesters and Ernest Hemingway left Paris for 40 years and wrote A Moveable together, for example, Tang Xianzu, Wu Li, Luís de Camões, Macao. invite artists, curators and art critics to lecture. Different from Feast. A fantasy movie Midnight inin ParisParis by Woody Allen and the Camilo Pessanha and contemporary Macao writers. Their academy of arts, students don’t need to pay tuition fees. The book Midnight in Paris co-published by commaBOOKS and Alone writings could be developed into a tourist route which is not school will not provide certificates and qualifications either. In Publishing both make people wonder at the long lasting charm of just about food, old buildings and casinos. fact, isn’t academy of arts a classroom with a few chairs where literature. students and teachers sit together to talk about arts? When people talking about cultural heritages, they could The city between lines always has different looks. Paris is just think of architectures, natural views, or intangible cultural From 2009, since the school was set up, it has been in a the miserable world under Hugo’s pen, a living hell described heritages like traditional festivals and handcraft. Literary large scale with more than eight hundred students per by Balzac, the upper class society obsessed by Marcel Proust, heritages are actually the soft power of a city. Without free semester. Then the school began to cooperate with the Baudelaire’s flowers of evil and the paradise of the vagrants publication atmosphere, courageous and wise booksellers, non-profit organisation in Africa to offer courses in local. It from Benjamin. However, when you follow these great writers uniform pricing mechanism of books, copyright protection also set up residency programme in Miami. But in the same and poets to walk into the real place, you will find that besides system and inclusive cultural tolerance, Paris could not be the time, the founder decided to close the school. For them, this reputable fashions, fascinating street and intoxicated wine “Moveable Feast” for writers. is a school and also an artistic experiment, which leads to and food, there are rich and enviable literary heritages like the residence of The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Hugo, Café de Flore where Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir visit every day, Shakespeare & Company that never rejects anyone, Oscar Wilde’s tomb with worldwide crazy fans’ lip prints, Les 20 bouquinistes the world heritage site, AuAu BonheurBonheur desdes DamesDames 21 Blogs Blogs Old house, new look The transition from an industrial city to a creative city

When passing through Kyoto, I noticed there were many The hotel’s lobby has a fancy interior design and well After an hour of car ride from Lyon, the delicate French 41 years after Le Corbusier’s passing. construction vehicles digging on the ground with their machine decorated. In contrast to that, the hotel hallways and corridors city famous for its refined urban details, we reach Saint arms. An old house used to stand on that ground. It’s uncertain were kept in its original forms. The metal doors are tattered, the Etienne. Saint Etienne was a renowned industrial city twenty The first moment you see the Church of Saint-Pierre you to me what this place would look like in the future when the fences and handrails are rusty. As the guests enter the hotel years ago, but as the manufacturing industry in Europe gradually will notice the hat-shape and 33-meter-high rooftop, which construction is completed. In Kyoto, the number of old houses room, they would feel a different sense of design. The living declined, the city seemed to lose all its glories accumulated can be seen even from afar. Besides serving as a religious being torn down has been increasing in the city, replaced by space of the room is clean and comfortable. In the sleeping area, over the era of industrialisation. practice space, the church is also open to visitors and charges one-story modern houses that can be seen in almost every the guests would find a custom-made bed with a minimalistic and visitors an entrance fee. The ground floor of the church was Kyoto corner of Japan. It’s a great shame to see this, but it’s also western design. The bathroom, which has a beautiful tile wall, As the world further evolves into a new future, it appeared originally designed as monks’ living quarter, which is now an きょうとし understandable since the young people who inherit them find it uses the traditional Machiya townhouse sliding door. The wall to Saint Etienne that transformation was urgently needed to exhibition hall of Le Corbusier, showcasing the architect’s even more expensive to maintain them than tearing them down paint was completely removed, leaving the worn-out concrete stay prosperous. And so, the French city started to turn to the architect design models, drawing, furniture, etc. and tells the life and building new ones. Because of that, it’s even a greater joy wall exposed. Guests can also find old screw holes on the wall left design and creative industry that is trending and creates less stories of the architect. Entering the nave of the church, the for me to find old buildings that have survived and are reborn. behind by the previous residents. From these, the guests can read pollution. Since 1998, Saint Etienne has been hosting the visitors will see natural lights coming through the rooftop and the history and stories of this building. The hotel’s logo is also a reputable design exhibition Biennale Internationale de Design the three windows with different shapes and colours on the wall. The truth is, Kyoto still boasts quite many buildings and heritage of the apartment building. It’s actually a random graffiti de Saint-Étienne, attracting flocks of visitors coming from all over Shadows and lights form different shapes inside the church. The compounds converted from old buildings, such as Kyoto Art scribbled on the old front door. the world. The city had also invited the world-class architect cross on the chancel on the other hand is presented in a way Centre which used to be the Meirin Primary School, Kyoto Norman Foster to be the designer of the city’s new opera house that doesn’t seem to make it pop in the church in the eyes of Ron Lam International Manga Museum which used to be the Tatsuike Each floor of RC Hotel has its own theme. For instance, the Zenith. All these new changes from Saint Etienne are helping the the visitors. There are countless small holes on the wall, through Yap Seow Choong

Japan-based writer and Primary School, and hotels converted from traditional wooden third floor’s theme is art. For that, the third floor is used as an city to gain public attention and stay relevant. which visitors can see the light of the Orion when praying. Yap loves design, travel and traveller, specialising in townhouses (Machiya). Kyoto-based real estate company art space where the hotel rooms serve as exhibition halls that everything beautiful in life. design, lifestyle and travel He writes for various media Hachise deals with the sales of Machiya, with a professional exhibit artists’ works. When I was visiting, the room was exhibiting Besides all the industrial strengths Saint Etienne had built After the church visit, the guide took us to the nearby journalism. Ron previously about travel and design and served as an editor of MINGMING design department dedicated to converting Machiya into the oil paint artist Ly’s works. Starting from this year, RC Hotel will over the years, Saint Etienne enjoys an urban environment international apartment building Unité d'Habitation. 60 years has published works, MagazineMagazine, , ELLEELLE DecoratioDecorationn modern living spaces that cater to the young generation. It’s begin to host various arts and cultural events, seminars and suited for the development of creative industries. According ago, Le Corbusier finished his very first international apartment including Wander Bhutan Bhutan and CREAMCREAM. and Myanmar Odyssey Odyssey. unfortunate that these buildings would lose their original charm workshops, etc. It seems RC Hotel will soon become Kyoto’s to what the local tour guides said, people in Saint Etienne architect in Marseilles and later brought this concept to other Formerly publisher of Lonely because of the new design, but their exterior design is therefore new cultural space. have a great business mind while being good at pushing for European cities. When the international apartment building was first Planet (China Office), Yap is now Chief Content Officer preserved as a result. Compared with buildings like the Meirin innovations. One of the largest supermarket chains in open to public in Marseilles, it received heavy criticisms from the of Youpu Apps, a Beijing Primary School and the Tatsuike Primary School that are Another thing that really made me fall in love with this hotel France, Casino, for instance, was founded in Saint Etienne in locals, who considered the building was the house of a mad man. based travel app company. considered as western mansions that showcase the fusion of is the hospitality of the receptionists. The two receptionists that 1860. In 1885, Manufrance set up the first mailing service Nobody believed there would be anyone that would like to live in western culture and Japanese culture, Machiya are pure served me, one from Macao and one from Taiwan, were both a company in France. Prestigious architect and urban planner a tall apartment tower that looks like a bird cage. But time has traditional Japanese houses. Recently, I visited the RC Hotel in bit shy. They didn’t have the professional smiles and speaking Le Corbusier once came up with the plan of Urban City, proven Le Corbusier’s pioneering vision. Kyoto, through which I am able to get a glimpse of the sides of style that people in this industry commonly share. From my receiving great recognition from the local mayor at that time. Kyoto that visitors seldom see—a building of bizarre visions, perspective, it’s very humane, unlike the formality produced by The mayor eventually decided to give Le Corbusier a piece of The building is 15-storey high and constructed with plain sub-culture, and acceptance of different ways of living. the standardised business operation. It’s also very Kyoto to me. land in Firminy, which is seven kilometres away from Saint cement with the design concept of simplicity and functionality. They actually made the entire hotel experience more comfortable Etienne to experiment with his urban city plan. Part of the external walls was painted in red, yellow and blue. Le RC Hotel is located in the preserved historic site in the and made me feel at ease. Corbusier proposed this deign with the intention of easing the Kiyomizu-dera area, where it’s not allowed to build any Born in 1887 in Switzerland, Le Corbusier had been one of population pressure in urban cities. The international apartment buildings that are taller than two-story. The hotel was actually Kyoto’s culture is diverse, and its diversity is also reflected the most important architects active in the French architect building is just like a small city within a city. Besides living spaces, built before this regulation came into force. Being four-story by different buildings here. If one day, old buildings here are all community in the 20th century. Being a pioneering figure known the lower floors are designed as commons. Inside the building, high, RC hotel pops up among the old houses in this historic replaced by modern designs that look pretty much the same for for his modern and international architecture designs, his works there is even a kindergarten. The living apartment spaces are area. However, RC Hotel does not strike you as a modern and economic and urban development, then Kyoto might lose its can be seen around the globe such as in Europe, the U.S., and connected through long halls, similar to the streets in cities. At fancy hotel when you first see it from the outside, but rather original charm and might no longer be the city that we dream to India, etc. despite the quantity. His most famous design is present, half of the apartments in this building have been made as looks old and crappy. It’s quite the vibe you get from Kyoto. RC visit. located in the northeast of France, known as the Notre Dame du affordable housing for low-income residents, while the other half Hotel is an old concrete compound, formerly used as an apartment Haut. The city planning projected titled as Firminy-Vert was of the apartments are available on the open market. According to building. Without proper maintenance over the years, all residents considered as the most progressive urban plans in Europe at that what the tour guide said, despite the complex environment around had gradually all moved out from the building. After taking over, time. The original plan included three high apartment towers the apartment building and the inconvenient transportation access, RC hotel’s founder Minakuchi was impressed by the vibe of the (only one was built), a stadium, music hall and a church, etc. many people are still competing for an apartment here because of building itself and the surrounding environment as they clash Besides the Indian city Chandigarh, Firminy is the district that Le Corbusier’s reputation, believing that the apartments here have with each other and create an amazing visual. He saw it as an boasts the most architectures designed by Le Corbusier. great investment potential. opportunity to showcase how old and new elements fuse in the city of Kyoto, as well as how the “uptight” tradition and the The Church of Saint-Pierre is the most worth-seeing and openness of the young can coexist. Eventually, Minakuchi legendary architecture coming from this project. The construction decided to keep the original features of the building and of this incredible church had been a tale of ups and downs. The redesign it under the theme “Contrast”. Minakuchi believed that construction only started five years after the architect passed the hotel would be a portal through which visitors can see the away and lasted till 1978 and was suspended for the lack of interesting sides of Kyoto. funding. In 2002, under the support of the Saint Etienne city government, the church construction was resumed under the protégé of Le Corbusier. In late 2006, the church was finally built, 22 23 Blogs Things about artistic director

Located on the riverside of Ottawa, the National art festivals that I have participated. As we have not consulted Arts Centre (NAC) produces and invites artists at home with the oversea art circle before, we could not be recognisable and abroad every year to create new works or replay the on the performing stage. Obviously, if a local production needs classical works in order to enrich the cultural lives of to perform overseas, cooperating with a producer recognised by residents in the capital as well as to be open-minded people there will be helpful. Recommended by the artistic director to different communities. When you stepping in the in her own hand is especially important. art centre, you will find a centre looks like a giant art and culture salon. Art installations, photography exhibition, It is not common to see such a caring artistic director in the jazz music performance could be seen everywhere. On the national-level art institution. Even the audiences notice for our basement, there are restaurants and coffee houses. performance was recorded by Jillian Keiley (in most of the situation, Since it was completed in 1969, it has become the it will be recorded by a voice sounding like subway station staff). It delightful cultural landmark of local residents. turns out to be a way to get closer with the audiences. Indeed, in Canada, to manage the relationship between audiences and the In January, Mr.Mr. ShiShi and His LoverLover (Mr. Shi for short), theatre is also the duty of artistic director. No matter in Toronto, directed by me, had the honour to be invited to perform Vancouver or the capital Ottawa, there will be a group of in the small auditorium in NAC for two weeks. Thus, I subscribers being the base of audiences (like the membership in Johnny Tam had an opportunity to observe the details of how Asia). These people will be the regular when new play performs in

Theatre director, art different local performing stadiums operate. For each season. In other words, the theatre and the subscribers have director of the Macao example, on the opening night, the staffs sent the intimate understandings and communications, which will directly Experimental Theatre, brochure to changing room. I carefully read and found affect whether the artistic culture will stick to the local humanistic has been living and working in Shanghai that the artistic director Jillian Keiley wittily took a thoughts. After the premiere of Mr. Shi Shi, the artistic director and Berlin. Representative picture, in which she was holding a coffee cup and arranged a reception on purpose. The theatre manager introduced works from these years are Mr. Shi and His Lover having afternoon tea with the audiences. In addition, it creators to the audiences one by one. All these activities were to and Lungs. attached with a letter to the audiences. This letter make the relationship among audiences, stadiums and artists closer. includes how she was moved by Mr. Shi and why she, as an artistic director, would introduce a non-English play Thus, artistic director not only needs outstanding art to the local audiences in Canada. accomplishments, but also good public relation skills. It is true that the theatre should build an image for brand (This will be As a creator, I was actually moved by these details, discussed in the next several issues). Artistic director also has because a work from local culture is easy to fail when the core cultural image of the theatre. Therefore, every word performing abroad. To stand out from hundreds of and action of him would reflect a spiritual idea. If he happens to performances is not easy. It is even more difficult to be a director, he must, besides express in his own works, could find the cultural context for oversea audiences to use simple words to clarify the personal and theatre’s unique keep an appropriate distance with the work. This aesthetic. He will also use his artistic view to guide audiences experience reminds me of some Taiwan and London how to appreciate and experience each unique work.